Tag: scrapbooking

CKC Kit Build, April ’25

I love kit building and that is why I am on the design team for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge project. We take an inspiration kit each month and proceed to replicate it, or as we say, counterfeit it. This is a free, friendly group that helps inspire you to use up supplies you already own. We are not about needing to buy the latest and greatest thing (though we won’t stop you if you enjoy new crafty goodies😉 ).

I’ve been saying this more and more often, but I can’t believe it is a new month already. The speed at which months fly by continues to stun me. You may have noticed that my only blog post last month was my kit build. That is how fast things are passing by! At any rate, a new month means a new kit build. Let’s get to it.

Brandi is our team hostess this time. She is a big boy mama and chooses kits that can fit those scrappy needs. This time around her choice actually includes flowers and pink! It is the Lil’ Man collection from Bella Gypsy. You can find this digital kit over at Pickle Berry Pop. Before we dive into the details of this kit, let’s give a warm welcome to our guest designer this month, Briana Spors!

So, here is our inspiration kit.

Scrapbook kit inspiration

I was inspired by all the geometric prints, the cork embellishments and the sweet alphabet sets. I managed to come up with pretty good options for the pattern papers. I even have one veeery old pattern paper in my kit: that square print second from the right. I wonder if it will make it onto a layout this time?

I also decided to add in some solid cardstock this time as well. As I was looking at all the patterns nestled together I felt like some solid cardstock was needed to break up the layers. Here is where I found room for a bit more pink and even some purple!

Now let’s turn to the embellishments. I’m relying heavily on tools this month. I’ve included three 6×6 paper pads to put those tools to use with. I like the smaller scale of the patterns in these pads. In fact, the small scale of the patterns on the inspiration alphabet set is why I pulled out these paper pads! With the addition of some metal in the form of brads, and some wood and cork pieces, I’ve got a pretty good supply to keep me busy.

Don’t forget that each month I also create my own elements to add into my kit. Of course these are inspired by the original kit, but often have a twist of their own. So don’t miss what I will make in just a couple of days.

There is a tradition over at CKC of titling our kits just like companies do. Since I really started this whole kit build with the circle prints, I’m calling mine…

Circular Thinking

If you want more details on my kit building thought process, check out my kit build video.

I hope you can follow along with the other designers and see how they interpreted their own kits.

Here’s the full hop link list

Have fun kit building and don’t forget to show off your stuff over on the CKC Facebook group, or tag us on Instagram @counterfeitkitchallenge or use #counterfeitkitchallenge.

I’ll be back on the 4th, for our Product Forgeries. Until then, have an artful day!

CKC Kit Build, March ’25

I love kit building and that is why I am on the design team for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge project. We take an inspiration kit each month and proceed to replicate it, or as we say, counterfeit it. This is a free, friendly group that helps inspire you to use up supplies you already own. We are not about needing to buy the latest and greatest thing (though we won’t stop you if you enjoy new crafty goodies😉 ).

Welcome to a new month of kit building. Ryann is our hostess this time. She chose the Beach Tale Collection by Kristin Cronin-Barrow from Sweet Shoppe Designs to inspire us. Ryann chose this kit in honor of her first-ever trip to Hawaii! There is a lot to work with here.

Martha

Before we dive into the details of this kit, let’s give a warm welcome to our guest designer this month, Martha Saenz. Martha loves to scrapbook her family and has been at this craft for 27+ years. Be sure to read more of her story on the CKC blog.

Now for a look at this digital kit — or actually, two kits! This inspiration is a bundle! They have the same tropical vacation vibes with different color palettes. You could take inspiration from everything like I did, or focus on just one kit.

I don’t have a need for tropical or vacation vibes so I had to take this kit in my own way. That is what is great about CKC. It is inspiration. Just use what sparks your ideas for how you scrapbook! I chose elements I appreciated from all the imagery and came up with one giant kit. Well, at least one giant collections of papers, and some reasonable embellishments, LOL.

So these are the papers I chose. The bottom row captures some of the vibes of the kit in color or motif. I did have a couple of sheets of tropical paper (bottom right) but mainly I stuck with the color vibes. I swapped out the inspo Tucan for a bird print (bottom, center left). From the orange slices in the inspo I pulled out several fruit papers. Then I went wild with support colors from hot pink down to deep blues. Some of my solid cardstock pieces are even glittery to pull in some of the inspo kits’ sparkle.

That is way too much paper for me to ever use in a month, but maybe I can try a more layered style this time. That is likely to be a good idea anyway as many of these papers are from JoAnn and they are the single sided light weight papers. I’ll need to layer them up to be sturdy enough to handle embellishments.

Speaking of which, here are the items I included for embellishing. I have a wood grain alpha (plus, not pictured, a die set and scraps of woodgrain paper since this alpha is at the end of its useful life). I found some colorful rubons and enamels. Then I took on some of the more neutral elements with twine, buttons and wood grain phrase diecuts. I also made some of my own flowers, but I’ll show you more of that process on the fourth!

There is a tradition over at CKC of titling our kits just like companies do. Because of the bright colors and the overwhelming amount of paper, I’m calling my kit…

Fruit Punch

If you want more details on my kit building thought process, check out my kit build video.

I hope you can follow along with the other designers and see how they interpreted their own kits.

Here’s the full hop link list

Have fun kit building and don’t forget to show off your stuff over on the CKC Facebook group, or tag us on Instagram @counterfeitkitchallenge or use #counterfeitkitchallenge.

I’ll be back on the 4th, for our Product Forgeries. Until then, have an artful day!

Media Mats: An overview

Moving through 2025 I want to provide more informational content. Starting off the year I want to take a look at Media Mats. I’m starting here since you will see me use inks, paints and sprays on my projects on a regular basis. You will also see the various mats I use to keep my space clean, make cleanup easier and help me get the job done faster.

I created a video explaining many things on these mats. However that video is now fixed and can’t be changed. In fact I have now thought of one idea I missed already! Here I have the opportunity to update and correct information based on feedback!

Let’s start with that video. I’ll move on to a chart that you can download for free. Finally I’ll share many details of each mat category and the various qualities.

Media Mat chart

Download this pdf chart.

Latest update: February 2, 2025

More Details

Paper Mats

From scratch paper to specialty mats you can purchase. Paper sheets are a cheap and disposable way to make cleanup easier. Larger mats with grids can be purchased and the grids are very useful

★ Best uses: ink blending; catching messy mediums to throw away

Pros

  • Free or cheap
  • Readily available
  • Disposable so no further cleaning is needed.

Cons

  • Creates a lot of trash
  • Can’t handle very wet mediums

Laminated Paper Mats

The provide many of the same qualities as glass mats at a fraction of the cost. However, getting larger sizes requires going to an office store. Sizes around 13in x13in are available for home use. Consider a machine like the Minc which can be used both for craft techniques and for medium-size lamination.

★ Best uses: any mediums; smaller projects

Pros

  • Can be very inexpensive if you have a machine.
  • Machines have other uses such as storage dividers, preserving memorabilia, die cutting shims, toner foiling, etc.

Cons

  • Need a machine or access to an office supply store to make one for you.
  • Not heat stable

Splat Boxes

Free when you repurpose a shipping box or pizza box.

★ Best uses: sprays and spatters

Pros

  • No cleaning
  • Good for sprays and splatters
  • Free if you reuse a box!

Cons

  • Needs to dry in between uses (or line with disposables such as paper towels)
  • Bulky to store
  • Not for most mediums

The Craft Mat

One of the original craft surfaces produced by Ranger with Tim Holtz. The original brown color lacked the ability to see the true color of mediums. A newer white version solves that.

★ Best uses: All mediums, smaller projects

Pros

  • Reduces media waste (scrape it up and put it back in the jar)
  • Slick surface is easy to clean. Plus it is easy to take to the sink for deeper cleaning.
  • Great for paints & pastes
  • Lightest weight
  • Heat resistant (but thin!)
  • Low cost
  • Can have multiple on hand
  • Cuttable to have multiple smaller mats

Cons

  • Creases & cracks (store rolled up)
  • Not big enough for scrapbook layouts
  • Hard to tape things down to it due to it’s slick surface.
  • Slips and slides around with movement like ink blending. Difficult to tape still due to that slick surface.

Silicone Mats

Likely originating in the kitchen industry. In my opinion, the most overrated of the bunch. Has a slightly grippy surface, but not grippy enough to keep things from slipping. Easy to take to the sink for cleaning.

★ Best uses: keep ink pads still when ink blending

Pros

  • Repurpose from kitchen baking mats
  • Affordable
  • Cuttable to have multiple smaller mats
  • Most mediums (except alcohol inks)
  • Can work as a palette also
  • Other uses: ink pad grips
  • Good heat resistance for drying projects with a heat tool, or to protect surfaces while heat embossing.

Cons

  • Not as grippy as marketed
  • Picks up lint, dust, pet hair VERY easily and hard to clean that off. Store it inside a bag to keep it clean.
  • Due to lint, often needs a hose down in the sink.

Photopolymer Mats

One of the most expensive options “per square inch” and limited uses. However, it is very good at what it does!

★ Best uses: ink blending & stenciling

Pros

  • Most grippy
  • Long lasting
  • Fairly easy to clean.
  • Now come in versions that offer stamps on one side and the grip mat property on the other.

Cons

  • Expensive for its size
  • Larger sizes not available (ie 12×12)
  • Can’t use alcohol products (Sharpies included)
  • Stains over time
  • Picks up lint & dust VERY easily. Must clean often to maintain grip.
  • Can’t handle heat or cutting.

Sticky Mats

Slightly better at hold power than photopolymer mats, but not nearly as long lasting. The sticky adhesive wears out over time. There may be ways to reapply adhesive but this requires some special products.

★ Best uses: ink blending & stenciling

Pros

  • Holds things in place well
  • Easy to find
  • Fairly inexpensive
  • Can repurpose other things like older Cricut mats
  • Cuttable to have multiple smaller mats
  • Can be large enough for scrapbook pages

Cons

  • Sticky wears out quicker than you might think
  • The mat itself can slide around. Can tape it down. (DON’T add tape to sticky zone.)
  • Not great for pastes. (However, can mask off exposed sticky to use pastes anyway.)
  • Must be wiped with a lint free cloth like a chamois.
  • Store with plastic cover (usually included) to prevent collecting dust & lint.

Self-Healing Mats

Originally from the sewing industry for rotary cutters. Great size options. Decent price. Good for many mediums. Plus the added bonus of being able to use it as a light-duty cutting surface.

★ Best uses: general table protection

Pros

  • Lots of size options
  • Self healing (craft knives okay!)
  • Helpful grids
  • Light-ish weight
  • General craft store availability (can also check sewing department for other brands)
  • Heat resistant (not proof)
  • Mid-range price
  • Can be cut down to multiple other sizes.

Cons

  • Not as smooth as glass (cleaning pastes is harder)
  • Can gouge if cutting on it
  • Few color options
  • May cloud with alcohol cleaners and inks (but not too bad)
  • Can stain depending on mat color

Glass Mats

My favorite of the bunch with one big downside as a YouTuber: it reflects lighting very easily. This is the heaviest of the bunch so best to set it and forget it.

★ Best uses: all mediums, cutting

Pros

  • Reduces media waste (scrape it up and put it back in the jar)
  • Long lasting
  • Most have grids
  • Knife resistant (check brand first, surface grid printing can interfere)
  • Can be pretty
  • Can have magnetic properties
  • Very smooth for easy cleanup
  • Heat resistant for heat embossing.
  • No staining

Cons

  • Expensive
  • Heavy
  • Can break if dropped. Best left in place
  • Glare if filming
  • Some adhesives need alcohol to remove.
  • Due to it’s thickness, creates a lip on your work surface that can be irritating.

CKC Kit Build, February ’25

I love kit building and that is why I am on the design team for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge project. We take an inspiration kit each month and proceed to replicate it, or as we say, counterfeit it. This is a free, friendly group that helps inspire you to use up supplies you already own. We are not about needing to buy the latest and greatest thing (though we won’t stop you if you enjoy new crafty goodies😉 ).

Welcome to a new month of kit building. I have the duty of hosting our kit inspiration this month. I’m excited about the kit I picked. It has some elements I love and some looks that push me a bit. Perfect! Before I talk more about that I want to welcome Sheryle Thomas as our guest designer this month. She is a retired nurse and loves to tell stories of her lovely cats. That has my heart for sure! Sheryle is sharing all her work over on our Facebook group so be sure to leave her some love over there.

So let’s move on with our kit. I chose the May ’24 kit from Kitaholics Kits in Australia. Sadly after choosing this kit, it has vanished from the website. Luckily I saved some kit photos before that happened, so we are good to go with our inspiration. Here are a few looks at what we have in store this time around.

Screenshot

Be sure to take a closer look at the Cedar House papers by American Crafts in this kit. Many of them have gold foiling. I did not realize that at first! I was drawn to the kit for the earthy vibe that reminded me of a cabin in the woods. Yet some of the embellishments are just the opposite, with young energy popping off the page. However, there are more of those nature vibe embellishments also. Finally, while I adore woodgrains I don’t often stick to monochromatic scrapping, so that is another challenging part of this kit for me.

With all that in mind, these are the papers I came up with. I did pour over both the A and B sides of the inspiration and made one-to-tone choices when I could. There are some interpretive substitutions but I am super happy with my kit.

Now remember when I said monochromatic scrapping is hard for me? This is where my kit building started ballooning into a massive kit. We’ll get to all the extras I ended up adding but let’s start with the extra pattern papers. I wanted more color so I took that striped paper in the photo above as a jumping off point to bring in more color. Not only more color, but also more gold foiling. The three papers on the right end do just that. Plus it doesn’t hurt to add hearts to a February kit, right?

Let’s take a look at the base embellishments next. I’ve got a little bit of everything from the inspiration in here, from the kid energy to the nature vide.

The inspiration also included some mixed media elements. I stuck really closely to the inspo color palette. I did choose a lot of extras in the stamp category in the woodland animal theme.

I didn’t stop there. I needed more stuff in my kit, including tons of embellishments along the nature/outdoor theme. I have all of the Simple Stories Trail Mix line, some 49th and Market, plus a bit of Jen Hadfield with gold foiling.

Okay, one more thing and then I am done. I adored the burlap ribbons in the inspiration kit. Not many kits include those details these days, so that is very much one thing that drew me to choose this inspiration. With that I added lots of texture in the form of trims, burlap paper and corrugated cardboard papers. I’m looking forward to using up these old stash items.

Whew! Now that we have seen everything, there is a tradition over at CKC of titling our kits. So I’m calling mine…

Cabin Adventures

If you want more details on my kit building thought process, check out my kit build video.

I hope you can follow along with the other designers and see how they interpreted their own kits.

Here’s the full hop link list

Have fun kit building and don’t forget to show off your stuff over on the CKC Facebook group, or tag us on Instagram @counterfeitkitchallenge or use #counterfeitkitchallenge.

I’ll be back on the 4th, for our Product Forgeries where I’ll be adding even more to this kit. Until then, have an artful day!

Glimmer of the Month subscription, month ’25

I’ve decided to dive into the hot foiling trend. I never expected to actually do it. The cost of a foiling machine, the cost of new foiling plates, the space to store it all and getting caught up in the latest and greatest were all a bit overwhelming. And yet. And yet I was feeling a sense of FOMO. It was almost akin to the early days of die cutting; it was the latest and greatest. But would it be an expensive fad to fade away? Die cutting ended up being a staple crafting method. I believe hot foiling is as well.

My shifting thinking toward hot foiling collided with a ridiculously cost saving Black Friday deal. I accidentally ran across a hot foiling machine for a discontinuing price of $25. I was stunned. And also sold! The next step was how to go about adding some hot foiling plates to my stash in a reasonably affordable way.

Enter another collision of events. I had been subscribing to the Freckled Fawn memory keeping kit and cancelled it back in November due to poor customer service. I thought I would take a break from subscriptions for a while again. However, the Spellbinders kits have been in my periphery for a while. When I found the hot foil machine, signing up for a monthly foil plate subscription just seemed to make sense. I could slowly add to my supplies and also some monthly happy mail. I may even try to keep the goodies a surprise if I can manage to avoid all the social media reveals!

So, on with my first happy mail goodies. I received the December “kit” near to Christmas and held off making the unboxing video until after the holidays. So here is what the December set involved.

On the left you can see the outlines of all the pieces included: The larger floral corner, two sentiment plates and the coordinating three dies to cut out the pieces. The center shows off how things will look when used as designed. To complete the monthly kit there is a roll of hot foil. This time it was matte gold. How can you have shiny foiling that is also matte? I don’t know the magic they use, but the results are beautiful!

I had a learning curve to overcome when setting to work. After a few mistakes I got the hang of it and the results were amazing. I quickly got ideas on projects and made it happen. I created a set of cards for Galentine’s Day as well as a scrapbook layout using some scraps.

Neither of these images do justice to the shine of the foiling. You should watch the video to get the full effect.

I hope you’ll join me later in the moth as I unbox and explore the January glimmer products. I’m looking forward to adding more shiny goodness to my projects this year.

Until next time, have an artful day!

Forgeries on the Fourth (aka FOF), January ’24

As a design team member over at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge group I play along with as many of our monthly inspiration challenges as I can. The Forgery on the Fourth project is definitely one I enjoy! That is where we see a scrap product we like and set out to recreate it with supplies we already own. So let’s go ahead and dive in to what I have for you this month.

Since we always start our forgery projects with inspiration, here is the image we are working with this month. It is the September 2024 kit from Hip Kit Club.

It is really hard to see into all those tiny embellishments. Here are the best grabs of images that I could manage.

Here is what I ended up making. These makes were not special or complicated, but in my makes video I explain some crafting ideas behind them. For instance I talk about the advantages of alcohol based markers. I also create several things using circle punches while explaining how to see shapes differently.

You can hear all my thoughts, plus some bonus makes in my video. Remember that coffee press icon up above. I tell you how I found a similar item from

For more creative ideas, the CKC blog has more forgery examples to check out. I hope this gave you some ideas on how you can recreate your favorite products with supplies you already have on hand. Don’t forget to show off your stuff over on the CKC Facebook group, or tag us on Instagram @counterfeitkitchallenge or use #counterfeitkitchallenge.

Until next time, have an artful day.

CKC Kit Build, January ’25

I love kit building and that is why I am on the design team for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge project. We take an inspiration kit each month and proceed to replicate it, or as we say, counterfeit it. This is a free, friendly group that helps inspire you to use up supplies you already own. We are not about needing to buy the latest and greatest thing (though we won’t stop you if you enjoy new crafty goodies😉 ).

Happy New Year everyone. January is always a big shift for me as I move from largely die cutting and card making back into scrapbooking. I often feel a bit rusty switching gears again. I’ll shake off that feeling and get right back to it. So… Welcome to a new month of kit building. Christine is our hostess this time. She chose the September 2024 kit from Hip Kit Club to inspire us. Before we dive into the details of this kit, let’s give a warm welcome to our guest designer this month. Jennifer Cain. You can find her on Instagram and on YouTube.

So let’s move on with our kit. Here are a few looks at what we have in store this time around.

It is a bit hard to get a closer look at all these goodies so you’ll have to trust me when I say I saw something sepcific that caught my attention, LOL.

For the papers, I only used items that sparked some interest for me. There was no specific reasons I included some papers and not others. The funniest thing about building out my papers was that I completely forgot I had this split-heart print in my stash. It was such a fun match to the inspo! Some other paper choices were more on the interpretive side, but that is how I roll.

For the embellishments I was super inspired by small little images in the kit pack. That lead me to pulling a lot of die sets and stamps sets to mimic those images. From roller coasters, to owls, to shoes, I packed in a bunch of little imagery. It’ll be a month of making embellies for each layout! Yet, I still do have my FOF (aka Forgeries on the Fourth) project coming, so perhaps I can get some work in ahead of time to pre-make some elelements.

Hope you will come back on the fourth to see what I made ahead and what I left to do in real time!

Before we go, there is a tradition over at CKC of titling our kits just like companies do. So I’m calling mine…

Sky High

… in honor of the stars and rollercoasters and hot air ballon images.

If you want more details on my kit building thought process, check out my kit build video. (This will go live 6am PST. To keep our team coordinated, our blog posts go live at midnight EST.)

I hope you can follow along with the other designers and see how they interpreted their own kits.

Here’s the full hop link list

Have fun kit building and don’t forget to show off your stuff over on the CKC Facebook group, or tag us on Instagram @counterfeitkitchallenge or use #counterfeitkitchallenge.

I’ll be back on the 4th, for our Product Forgeries. Until then, have an artful day!

CKC Kit Build, November ’24

I love kit building and that is why I am on the design team for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge project. We take an inspiration kit each month and proceed to replicate it, or as we say, counterfeit it. This is a free, friendly group that helps inspire you to use up supplies you already own. We are not about needing to buy the latest and greatest thing (though we won’t stop you if you enjoy new crafty goodies😉 ).

Welcome to a new month of kit building. Vikki is our hostess this time. She chose the Goldenrod Digital & Printable Kit by Traci Reed Designs to inspire us. Before we dive into the details of this kit, let’s give a warm welcome to our guest designer this month. Tamra Hunt, pictured to the left! You can find her on her blog.

So let’s move on with our kit. Here are a few looks at what we have in store this time around.

Lets take a bigger look at the papers since that is where I usually start. What caught my attention was the fact that there were plenty of everyday papers tucked in there. From plaids to polkadots, I found plenty to inspire me outside of the definite fall theme of this collection. I very much appreciate that! I also liked that the softer than traditional color palette as well as the addition of gray and gray-teals.

So these are the papers I came up with. I subbed out the black star print for a large bold multicolor star. I included one leafy print and one pumpkin print as a nod to the theme. I also subbed in one wreath print that while intended for Christmas, could work really well on a Halloween layout with porch pumpkins!

And here is a look at the embellishments. I kept my main selection of embellishments manageable. I will allow myself to draw readily from my stash of fall and Halloween embellishments as needed.

Don’t forget that each month I also create my own elements to add into my kit. Of course these are inspired by the original kit, but often have a twist of their own. So don’t miss what I will make in just a couple of days. I’m sharing some things from super-easy to fun-techniquey this time around.

There is a tradition over at CKC of titling our kits just like companies do. So in honor of the wreath print I included, I’m calling mine…

Porch Decor

If you want more details on my kit building thought process, check out my kit build video.

I hope you can follow along with the other designers and see how they interpreted their own kits.

Here’s the full hop link list

Have fun kit building and don’t forget to show off your stuff over on the CKC Facebook group, or tag us on Instagram @counterfeitkitchallenge or use #counterfeitkitchallenge.

I’ll be back on the 4th, for our Product Forgeries. Until then, have an artful day!

Ghosting!

No not the person who you were talking too who suddenly ghosted you.

No, not the haunted spirit kind of ghosts. (Though that is close.😉)

I want to talk about the technique of ink ghosting! While this technique is very simple to explain, it does take some time and patience to get right. So let me show you how it is done and give you of tips & tricks.

  1. Work on heavy cardstock. The smoother the better.
  2. Choose a water reactive ink. Many basic dye inks on the market will work. Look for labels that say “permanent” or “watercolor friendly”. Those are the ones to avoid!
  3. Spread ink all over your paper really well. Ink brayers or foam daubers work great. You can use blending brushes but it will take much longer to get a good coat of ink.
  4. Use an open shaped stencil. Anything with too much detail can get blurry.
  5. Cover up any paper that sticks out beyond the stencil!!
  6. Spray a light mist of water from about 12 inches away until the images are evenly coated.
  7. Wait for about 10 seconds. Dab excess water away with a dry towel.
  8. Repeat as needed to get full coverage on your project!
  9. Voila!

Now I have a bit of an announcement. I will be opening a small online shop to sell a few products. One of them will be this ghost stencil that I designed! If you really want to see it in action, the video below shows all the detail.

I’ll be sharing another ghosting technique on Nov 4th using some stamping. Stay tuned for that! Until next time, have an artful day.

CKC Kit Build, October ’24

I love kit building and that is why I am on the design team for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge project. We take an inspiration kit each month and proceed to replicate it, or as we say, counterfeit it. This is a free, friendly group that helps inspire you to use up supplies you already own. We are not about needing to buy the latest and greatest thing (though we won’t stop you if you enjoy new crafty goodies😉 ).

Man, I have been so busy with a long list of stuff going on. Luckily most of it is good. Unfortunately it means multiple things have fallen through the cracks. Deep breath. Pick up the trail and move forward.

With that I am here with my October kit. The team at CKC breaks up tasks for the group by various jobs. I’m actually on the job of creating a mini kit + project this month. But… that kit & project is going to be a fun home decor idea (sneaky peek there). That means I still need a scrappy kit. So here it goes.

First here is our guest designer: Liz Ketter! You can find her on Instagram. I don’t know Liz so I am looking forward to seeing her work. Speaking of which we need to build a kit based on inspiration. Since I am behind the times, you can check out Liz’s and the rest of the team’s kits over at the CKC Blog. We are working with the An Autumn Tale: Chilly Breeze digial kit available at Sweet Shoppe Designs.

The very first thing I noticed was the demin accent. LOVE. We have had at least one other month with denim vibes during my tenure on the team. Still loving it. I also appreciate the softer takes on oranges and browns. Those are not my go-to colors at all. Yet the tones here have a bit of a glow to them that I appreciate.

So these are the papers I came up with. Apologies for the blurry photo. I had my camer in the wrong setting when I snapped this and didn’t realize it until it was too late.

And here is a look at the embellishments. Despite the chaotic look of this pile, I kept it simple. I added dies and stamps to create items as I scrap. I added textural elements of felt and cork. Then I just plopped my entire fall embellishment pouch onto my kit. Done.

Don’t forget that each month I also create my own elements to add into my kit. Of course these are inspired by the original kit, but often have a twist of their own. So don’t miss what I will make in just a couple of days. I’m loving my ideas this time.

There is a tradition over at CKC of titling our kits just like companies do. So I’m calling mine…

Easy Breezy Autumn

If you want more details on my kit building thought process, check out my kit build video.

I hope you can follow along with the other designers and see how they interpreted their own kits.

Here’s the full hop link list

Have fun kit building and don’t forget to show off your stuff over on the CKC Facebook group, or tag us on Instagram @counterfeitkitchallenge or use #counterfeitkitchallenge.

I’ll be back on the 4th, for our Product Forgeries. Until then, have an artful day!